Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) is widely considered the ideal way to manage feral cat colonies. We define the term "feral cat" as a cat who cannot be picked up or handled by strangers. These cats are not adoptable as indoor house pets, and are generally euthanized by animal control facilities or even shelters labeled as "no-kill"; however, studies have shown that euthanasia of feral cats does nothing to quell the cat overpopulation problem. In fact, euthanizing feral cats can even lead to cat colonies growing in size because the remaining cats breed more to replenish the colony. TNR is an excellent option for not only saving the lives of feral cats, but also reducing the feral cat population in your area.

Unfortunately many cities have "leash laws" that require all animals, dogs and cats, to be either on a leash or under voice command by their owners and define nuisance animals as any animal running at-large with no exceptions made for community cats. In these communities, our ability to TNR is severely limited; however, if you are located in a city such as Houston or an unincorporated area of Harris or Brazoria County where TNR is encouraged or at least not penalized, we may be able to help you spay and neuter your community cats.

Through our TNR program, community cats are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and ear-tipped. A "tipped" ear is the universal sign of a fixed community cat, signaling to other groups as well as animal control that the animal has been fixed. Typically, community cats are trapped by their colony mangers the night before or morning of surgery, transported to the vet around 8am, then picked up from the vet the day after surgery to be released back to their colony. The 24-hour hold gives the cat time to recover from anesthesia, but for cats who are only semi-feral or pregnant/nursing females, a longer hold period or additional monitoring may be required.

Check out tips for trapping animals from Best Friends!

Please fill out the form below if you'd like to discuss options for getting the community cats in your area fixed and vaccinated.